A slew of patents showing various wide angle optical formulas has appeared. All of the lenses appear to be for full frame and could be hints of replacements for the EF 17-40 f/4L as well as the EF 16-35 f/2.8L II.

The 17-40 definitely needs an upgrade. The Tamron 10-24 I had for apsC was sharper than my 17-40 on FF.

You are comparing two different lenses on two different formats. It's not a reasonable comparison. Yes, there's room for an update. But it's not a critical update. The current 17-40L and 16-35IIL are both very strong and capable performers.